


Bound and Determined

by Acadiana



Category: Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies)
Genre: I will add more tags later, M/M, Missions Gone Wrong, Sexual Content, Sexual Tension, Slash, Work In Progress
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-30
Updated: 2019-01-19
Packaged: 2019-07-04 11:37:03
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,591
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15840486
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Acadiana/pseuds/Acadiana
Summary: An away-mission gone wrong wakes something up inside Spock he never knew was there.





	1. Chapter 1

So, the mission had gone as wrong as it could have gone- aliens being less than hospitable despite the promise of exemplary hospitality turning into prisoners, chains, and torture- but Spock had managed to successfully incapacitate Jim’s captors and rescue the captain and his chief of security along with him. 

Jim sat in his quarters even now, contemplating the events that happened even after he finished his log. Commendations to Spock and the head of security, Giotto, for taking a hit meant for his captain, all that. But what was really bothering Jim was the rescue itself. There was no doubt that it would be Spock coming to save him, but the way it happened left him a bit miffed. 

Several hours had passed since they were captured by this planet’s dignitaries. It was supposed to be a quick, easy mission to convince another race to join the federation. It wasn’t even a first contact mission, as the USS Valiant had already logged three successful missions of contact and short negotiations with them. Apparently that was the only federation ship these aliens were willing to associate with, as Kirk and his guard were almost immediately captured and taken into a small, dark room. 

Kirk had tried to talk his way out, but it didn’t work. It only made them tie the ropes tighter on his wrists and pull his arms higher over his head. He struggled as they left, asking Giotto to try to get loose as well. They didn’t succeed, and an hour later a large figure entered the room. A humanoid male, roughly six feet tall and with muscles like a bull. He stalked slowly into the room and headed for Jim’s head of security.

“Leave him be!” Kirk shouted at the man, successfully gaining his attention. He stepped towards Kirk instead, his large skull tilting to the side in curiosity.

“You are willing to take the punishment instead, then?” 

Surprised, Jim nodded quickly, talking over Giotto’s shouts of protest. “Yes, yes! Leave him alone! I’m the captain, they only follow my orders! Punish me instead.” The being contemplated this for a moment before nodding as well. 

“Very well, human. I will comply to your wishes…” He paused, looking between the two humans and smirking, “But you will not last long. You are smaller than your companion. Your efforts will be in vein.” 

Jim swallowed thickly as he outwardly put on a mask of confidence and captainly bravery. “Just try me.”

Another hour passed and the alien left, smirking and covered in Jim’s blood. Jim panted, hanging there from the ropes. His hands were tied together tightly, but his legs were not. He had long shallow cuts down his bare chest and down his legs as well. His pants were still on his body, but they were in shreds where the knife had been against his skin. None of the cuts were very deep, and the bleeding was not much to worry about, but the stinging was killing him. 

Mind over matter, mind over matter, mind over matter! He blinked up at the dim room again, devising another way out. Before he got very far, however, the door burst open and Spock ran into the room, phaser ready. 

“Spock!” Jim shouted with renewed vigor, once again struggling against the ropes. Spock stood there and blinked at Jim for a moment, raking his eyes over him. A moment later, he still hadn’t moved. “Uh...Spock?” Jim tried again. 

As if slapped, the Vulcan jerked back to attention and then immediately raced over to untie the ropes. If Spock’s hands were a little shaky, Jim wasn’t going to mention it now.

After his hands were freed, JIm helped untie Giotto. Spock flipped open his comm, ready to hail the Enterprise when another two beefy humanoid guards burst into the room. Before Jim could react properly, the one nearest Jim and Spock pulled out some sort of electric weapon from his waistband and aimed at the Captain. Giotto lunged in front of his Captain, taking the hit, his body reacting as if it were electrocuted. Taking the opportunity of the guards’ momentary distraction, Spock was able to brandish his phaser and stun them both. 

Kirk quickly knelt down and felt for a pulse, sighing in relief when he easily found one. “He’s stunned, but okay I think. We need to get out of here fast.”

“Three to beam up, Mr. Scott.” Spock murmured into his comm. “And have medical on standby.”  
After they had all gotten back onto the ship, Bones had snatched him up, along with Giotto, and rushed him to medical. But Spock had refused to look at him. 

Now, back in his quarters, he was beginning to see oddities in the events that he hadn’t first noticed. The pause when Spock entered the prison cell was not uncommon, as Jim could chalk it up to an assessment of wellbeing. Spock was simply checking over his wounds and calculating the severity of his injuries. But could he not just as easily asked a simple “Are you okay?”

He knew he may be overthinking things, but he couldn’t help but consider Spock’s usual quick, Vulcan reflexes being outdone by Giotto, or the fact that he had refused to look him in the eye upon their safe return. As all of this was very unlike his sharp, quick-thinking first officer, he felt the need for a bit of concern.

Before he could contemplate the matter further, his door chimed in indication of a visitor. “Identify,” he called, hoping it was not a hypo-wielding doctor with a grudge. He was pleasantly surprised to hear a woman’s voice instead.

“Uhura, captain. I have information from headquarters.” 

He allowed her entrance, raising an eyebrow as she hurried in. “Uhura,” he smiled, “are the communication devices all over the ship down? Or is my Communications Officer turning into a carrier pigeon?” 

She flushed a bit, but didn’t back down, instead seating herself on a chair near his desk. “Neither, Sir. I’m off duty and the information wasn’t dire. I wanted to check on my Captain’s well-being, so I thought I would kill two birds with one stone, so to speak.”

“I see,” he grinned cheekily, “So if we are on such close terms, does that mean I can start calling you Nyota?” 

She threw her head back and laughed, “I don’t suppose you are ever going to let that go.” Shaking her head, she flicked the end of her ponytail over her shoulder and straightened back up in her chair before continuing, “In all seriousness, sir, I thought you should know the reason you were imprisoned. It turns out that while the USS Valiant has had some successful contact missions, they failed to mention that their own away teams never consisted of human males. Your appearance, and Giotto’s appearance, was not what they expected and it frightened them,”

JIm let out a frustrated groan and ran his hand through his hair. “So what the hell made them torture me? I get locking away the bad new thing on the planet, sure but did they have to rip up another one of my uniforms?” 

Nyota sighed and glanced over his fresh command golds he had changed into. “I suppose they were trying to intimidate you.” She placed her hands on her knees before rising from her seat. “The USS Valiant has been contacted and is expected to make this right themselves. I’ll leave you to rest now, Captain.”

He shook his head, waving her off, “Yeah, yeah, rest. See you tomorrow on the bridge, Lieutenant.” 

Once the door closed, Jim sauntered over to his bed deciding he was tired after all. “Computer, lights at 5%,” he yawned. Flopping back onto his mattress, he let his eyes fall shut. For the moment, he forgot all about Spock and his strange behavior.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the first story I have written on AO3, so I really appreciate you reading! I will be posting the next chapter within the next week. I will also add tags as I go so I don't spoil it too much. ;) I'm on Tumblr as PancakeandSirUp.
> 
> I kept this chapter short so I could kind of get a feel for how people like my writing style, since this my first story and all (at least, in a very very long time). If there aren't many complaints I will try and make the next chapter much longer. 
> 
> Feel free to comment your thoughts. :)


	2. Chapter 2

Spock suppressed a sigh as he tried once more to meditate. It had been hours since he had first started his fruitless attempts, his usually orderly mind in a state of chaos after the successful rescue. He concentrated on his breathing.

In.  
Out.  
In.  
Out.  
Jim.  
Out.  
Jim.  
 _Jim._

He stood up abruptly, forgoing his meditation. This was not working, and his constant thoughts of his Captain were borderline mutinous. He shook his head as if it would dispel his thoughts and decided to try sleeping instead.

“Energize!” Spock was beamed down into the building that Kirk and Giotto were being held in, and straight into the midst of three large, burly humanoids who all immediately turned to him with looks of shock and disgust. 

He only had a moment before their shock wore off and he would be attacked, so he used it to nerve pinch two of the burly creatures. The third lunged at him before he could stop him, and he was pinned. The alien had a hand around Spock’s throat, his other across his chest keeping him against the wall. Spock pulled at the hand around his throat instinctively, getting nowhere. He changed tactics and his hands grabbed at the creature’s face. Finding his meld points, he initiated a shallow meld that allowed his attacker to feel what Spock felt.

Face scrunched up in displeasure and fear, the creature loosened his grip and Spock was able to untangle himself from his captor’s grasp and incapacitate him. He rushed over to the locked door further down the corridor. He raised his phaser to the bolts, shooting the door open in a matter of seconds. He burst into the room, coming face to face with Lieutenant Giotto and Captain Kirk. 

He tried to ask if the men were unharmed, but the words died on his tongue. His eyes were locked onto Jim’s form, tied neatly and expertly by the ropes that bound him. He tried to look at Giotto but his eyes were too focused on his captain’s exposed skin- his arms, his chest, his wrists- all rubbing against the tight, restrictive ropes.

Spock found that Giotto’s shouting had died down now. In fact, he could no longer hear him at all. The ropes were no longer tinted with blood, and the walls of the cell were not that of a cell at all, but of his own quarters on the Enterprise. The look of determination remained on Kirk’s face; the determination not to show weakness to his captor remained.   
“Spock,” he breathed, locking eyes with him, “Spock, loosen these ropes.”

“I…” Spock moved forward only slightly before pausing, “I find Captain… that I do not wish to.”

“Spock… Spock!”

He jerked awake, sitting up in his bed. He glanced around the room for a moment in panic before realizing what had happened. He looked down and noticed his state of arousal and suppressed the color rising to his cheeks. An impatient _thump thump thump_ sounded at the door. “Spock! Are you alright?” 

The sound of his captain’s voice brought him fully back to reality, his dream causing shame to overshadow his arousal. His captain had been hurt, and he had allowed stray, un-Vulcan thoughts to crowd his mind. He got to his feet and pulled on his robes. 

“Enter.” The door slid open, revealing Jim 

“Hey, you okay? I tried calling your comm but you didn’t respond. I- oh, were you asleep?” Jim sheepishly ran his fingers through his hair as Spock raised an eyebrow.

“Yes, Captain. However, I hadn’t meant to sleep for quite so long therefore I appreciate your interruption.”

Jim grinned, radiating bright, warm smile causing an unintended warm feeling in the pit of Spock’s stomach. He decided to analyze it later.

“Well, I just thought we could talk a bit before shift. I mean, it was a weird rescue last night and it went by so quickly… I didn’t get a chance to thank you,”

Spock blinked. “Captain, there is no need in thanking me. As your First Officer, it is my duty to the ship and to you to ensure the safety of the Captain of this vessel at all times.” He suppressed a frown as he watched the grin on Jim’s face turn mischievous and quickly added “The crew as well, of course.”

“Ah.” Jim nodded, a playful glint not leaving his eyes, “I see. Well then, Mr. Spock, I see that my visit was indeed unwarranted. Unless,” he glanced at Spock over his shoulder, turning towards the door, “you would like to join me for a sparring session on deck 12 before Alpha shift? We still have a couple hours and I’m a bit restless.”

Despite his lack of proper meditation and unrestful sleep, he found that saying no was something he did not wish to do. 

“I shall endeavor to not harm you, Captain. But perhaps first I shall change.”  
Kirk threw his head back and laughed. “Oh, someone woke up sassy! Alright then mister, you’re on. Don’t go easy on me. I’ll see you in a few. Oh, and Spock?” Jim turned to him a bit more, a smirk never leaving his lips, “It’s Jim.”

The door slid shut behind him. 

It took 9.3349 minutes to change into his science blues, eat a small piece of replicated fruit, and move across the ship to deck 12. He was not surprised to find Jim already waiting there, but he was surprised to find him out of his command gold uniform and instead in a tight pair of shorts and sans shirt.

The Vulcan side of Spock was almost appalled at the thoughts that the human side of Spock had over the lean, already glistening muscles of his captain… almost. After all, appreciating the aesthetic qualities in other beings was simply a biological response, and therefore scientific and quite logical. Quite. Logical.

“Oh, hey. Hope you don’t mind I got a head start.” Jim wiped his forehead with a towel, vaguely gesturing to the ensign across the room that Spock had somehow not noticed yet. “Ensign Richards was kind enough to spar with me for a few minutes even though I’m sure he could wipe the floor with me. Like I said, I’m restless this morning.”

“The Captain is being modest, Commander. He is not easily pinned. We have a very competent leader!” Richards beamed, obviously a little star struck by the captain. His smile faltered when he locked eyes with the commander, however, and he quickly looked away. “I-I had better be going. Thanks for sparring with me, sir. It was an honor.” Not looking again at Spock, he nodded and mumbled a quick “Commander” before ducking out of the gym. 

Jim eyed his First Officer with a bemused look, “Why, Mr. Spock, what are you doing scaring my ensigns? The poor thing is only a kid.” 

“Scaring him, sir?” He had merely looked at the young ensign. If his carefully neutral look was interpreted as malice, warning, aggravation, or some other human emotion by the boy then that was clearly not his fault. 

“It’s Jim, Spock. Still not on duty.” He nodded to the mat he was standing on. “Shall we?”

In less than 5.4623 minutes, Spock surmised, he would be able to pin his captain to the mat in question.

It took 7.4214. 

Jim’s legs were finally pulled underneath him as Spock’s calculated attacks finally paid off. With a thud, Jim landed on his back and Spock took the opportunity to capture the human’s hands with one of his own above his head. Jim’s eyebrows shot up at this move, and he quickly went to untangle his legs instead. His legs, however, were completely pinned underneath those of his captor’s. 

Spock stared into the eyes of the man beneath him, holding tight. Jim huffed out a laugh, finally meeting his gaze. 

“Alright Spock, you pinned me.”

“Do you surrender?”

A spark of something Spock couldn’t place glinted in Jim’s eyes before he tilted his chin up in defiance. 

“No.”

Spock tightened his grip minutely in preparation for an escape attempt. When Jim stayed still under his grasp, he grew suspicious.

“You will not escape me, Jim, unless I wish it.”

Jim shivered. Immediately, a blush overcame the captain in apparent embarrassment and he averted his gaze. Unperturbed if not a little intrigued, Spock shifted his weight until he was leaning in closer, lips parted with a smart remark on his tongue, only inches from Jim’s face--

“Uh, maybe we should come back?” Sulu snickered at the door of the gym, Chekov behind him and trying in vain to see what was so funny over the tall navigator. 

Immediately the two were separated, the sound of another’s voice yanking them back to reality. Spock stood abruptly and helped the Captain to his feet, careful not to touch more than his biceps. 

Jim was still a little red as he laughed and addressed the newcomers. 

“We were just finishing up. I need to take a shower anyway before we’re due on the bridge. Thanks for indulging me, Spock. See you all on the bridge.” If he didn’t look Spock in the eye before grabbing his things and heading out the door, nobody mentioned it. 

Spock was silent, holding his hands behind his back and nodding at them as well before following his commanding officer out of the gym and back to his room. He would use the remaining time before his shift to attempt meditation again. 

It was not successful.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to those of you leaving feedback! I truly appreciate it. I will try to have the next chapter up within a week.


	3. Chapter 3

Alpha shift went on as expected with no major bumps in the road. After their last mission, the higher ups were kind enough to approve some shore leave for the overworked crew. Their last shore leave had been several months ago and it was starting to show. Chekov and Sulu were excited at the prospect and had immediately suggested a planet nearby.

“Navigator, what is our estimated arrival time?” Kirk asked from his place in the Captain’s chair.

“At our current speed, arrival time is three days and seven hours, sir.” Sulu recited easily, as excited as anyone for some well deserved rest. 

While Jim was excited, it was overshadowed with anxiety and confusion about his first officer. He glanced over at said Vulcan who was diligently working and turned away from his onlooker. Since his rescue, Spock had avoided him until he was confronted, only to basically wrestle him to the ground and lie on top of him, his face only inches away, his breath hitting his face-- 

“Captain, if I may, I would like a word with you.” Jim jolted upright and nearly dropped his padd at the sound of Uhura’s voice, which was much closer than he expected. She stood next to his chair, a pleasant smile on her lips. 

“Of.... of course, Lieutenant. Let’s talk in the ready room. Mr. Spock, if you would.” He gestured to his seat as he stood, and Spock nodded with a quick “Yes Captain,” as he took Jim’s seat. ‘Professional as always,’ Jim thought with a smile.

Still smiling slightly at his first officer, Uhura walked towards the ready room with a slight cough to gain his attention once more. He tore his eyes away from the soft-looking black hair he was definitely not focusing on and followed his communications officer out of the bridge, ignoring the strange look she gave him on their way out of the door.

Once they were in the ready room, Jim sat in the chair nearest to the door and gestured to a seat across from him. “So, you wanted to speak with me?”

“Yes, Captain.” She nodded and sat, holding herself a little rigid in her seat. “I wanted to discuss something… a bit personal, to be honest. But I believe this is an important discussion that relates to the well-being of the crew.”

Jim raised an eyebrow at that. “Well, Lieutenant, I trust your judgment. We can’t have personal issues damaging the well-being of my ship. Who exactly are we discussing? Are you having an argument with someone?”

“No sir, it isn’t anything like that. It really doesn’t involve me. But it does involve someone I am close to.” She folded her hands on the table, fixing her gaze on her captain. “And I think you know what I am talking about.”

“Is someone having issues with Spock again? I thought I fixed the xenophobic attitudes on this ship, for fuck’s sake…” He furrowed his brow, frustrated that anyone could be so rude anymore. He already reprimanded two crew members this year alone, and he swore if there was another incident he was shipping the next idiot out to the nearest starbase--

Uhura’s expression softened as she couldn’t help but let out a small laugh at her overprotective superior officer. “No, nobody is harassing Spock. I’m talking about you, Captain.”

He blinked, “Me? What did I do? I’m not following.”

She rolled her eyes, “You’ve only been staring at him all day, Jim. Sulu and Chekov are starting rumors, the ensign who brought you your coffee had to say your name three times to get you to take your cup. I could go on!” She shook her head with a laugh before eyeing him and deciding not to embarrass him further. He was already sputtering and trying to come up with excuses. She watched as he steadily turned red as her words fully sank in. 

“Well, then.” He finally blurted indignantly, “I don’t know what to say to that.”

She laughed openly at his loss for words. “Oh, I’m sorry, Captain, I don’t mean to laugh!” she giggled as he crossed his arms over his chest. 

This was completely ridiculous. Why, sure he had been a little distracted lately, but who didn’t get distracted? And if his bridge crew decided to start rumors and laugh at his expense, he wasn’t one to care. They were only bored. It wasn’t as if there was any truth in the rumors, right? It wasn’t like Jim was actually staring at Spock for extended periods of time… other than today! 

“It isn’t like he would care anyway even if I was staring,” he voiced aloud, trying to divert the blame. “I mean, he is a very diligent worker. He only took his eyes off of his station a couple times, and that was to attend to other duties.” He looked up only to see his communications officer trying very hard to keep a smile off of her face. “Oh, what now?”

“Uh, so… how would you know that if you hadn’t been staring at him?” 

They sat in silence for a few moments as Jim’s mouth opened and closed several times, his face growing more and more red. Deciding to take pity on her dumb genius of a captain, she huffed out a small laugh and stood before making her way back towards the bridge. Before leaving the ready room, she stopped and placed her hand on his shoulder. 

“It’s okay, Jim. Maybe you should just talk to him in private about it. You may be surprised by the outcome.” She pat him one more time on the shoulder and departed. Floored, he could only stare after her for a moment trying to figure out her meaning and her intent. He knew their breakup had been mutual, but he also knew both Spock and Uhura were very hard to read sometimes. He valued his friendships with them both, so he never really tried to pry anymore when it came to their love life. 

Jim shook his head. Why was he worried about love lives anyway? Spock’s, Uhura’s, his own; he needed to shake himself from these thoughts and get refocused. He needed to be the best damn captain in the fleet, just like everyone thought he was. Suddenly determined, he decided he knew just the person to visit to lift his spirits.

“Oh, for Christ’s sake, don’t tell me you caught a virus on that god forsaken planet! I knew I should have checked you one more time before releasing you for duty--” 

“Hello to you too, Bones. Can’t a guy just visit his old friend every once in a while without having a life-threatening disease?”

“Unfortunately Jim, that is rarely the case with you. Any symptoms I should know about?”

“No, Bones, I-- Bones, get that thing out of my face, I-- What, no, OW! Why the hell, Bones? You’re hypo-mad!” 

“Oh, don’t be such an infant. You were due for that vaccine a month ago. Now, why are you really here?”

Jim rubbed the sore spot on his neck tenderly, severely regretting his choice in friends. He should have visited Scotty. “I’ve been trying to tell you, I just wanted to visit for a little while. It’s boring on the bridge today and I’m not focusing well.” He sat on a bio bed and tried his best to stifle a yawn. 

McCoy eyed him thoughtfully for a moment, smoothing his fingers over the tricorder in his palm. He could tell there was more to it than just that, but he could also see a little bit of fatigue in his friend. “Alright, Jimbo, just take it easy for a bit then. Why don’t you lie down for a few minutes and take a breather? If they need you I’m sure they’ll comm you.”

He almost argued, really. But the bio bed was more comfortable than it ought to be and he really hadn’t slept much lately…

The good doctor ordered the lights to dim 20% before heading into his office to finish some paperwork, leaving his captain and friend to sleep. After all, he was a doctor, not a slave-driver. He continued his paperwork in relative peace for once until he heard a soft knock at the open door. Spock stood in the doorway, his arms behind his back. 

“Well today must be my lucky day.” Leonard drawled, leaning back in his chair, “A moron and a hobgoblin both in my sickbay, all on their own free will! Bless my soul, I must be radiating some kind of pheromone.”

Spock sniffed, tilting his head. “While I find your scent is rather like that of pheromones found in a human’s usual body odor, I doubt that is the reason for anyone to come closer to you.”

“Why, you green-blooded son of a--”

“Doctor,” Spock quickly interrupted, “I am simply here for the Captain. It has come to my attention that he has been overexerting himself and I feel I am somewhat responsible. I failed to notice his state of being this morning during out sparring match as I should have as his first officer. I wish to offer my services in maintaining the captain’s optimal health.”

McCoy glared at him but eventually raised his hands in a ‘shoo’ing motion. “Well, go on then, get him back to his quarters. He just needs sleep. I don’t mind if he stays here, but I also don’t need your snark in my sickbay.” 

Deciding to ignore the obvious jabs at him, Spock only nodded before turning and heading back into sickbay towards his captain. Leonard rolled his eyes and ordered the computer to shut his door and lock it this time. 

Nodding at the nurse as he passed her, Spock found his captain at the back of sickbay sprawled out on a bio bed in what looked to be a most uncomfortable manner. His left arm was thrown across his eyes, while his right arm was lying limp completely off the side of the bed. His legs were tangled in the sheets, one knee bent up. Spock did not sigh, but he was sure his mother would have in his place. 

Making the logical decision to allow his captain to sleep for as long as possible, he scooped Jim up and headed for the turbolift.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Haven't been able to write as quickly because of life, but will try to have an update sooner next time. Thanks for reading.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took so long. I hope if you're still reading you'll stick with me! I promise I'll finish this soon.

Spock willfully ignored the pointed stares and whispers that flowed in his direction as he stepped off of the turbolift with his captain in his arms. His superior hearing certainly allowed him to hear the murmurs of ‘oh my god, I told you so!’ and excited whispers of who owed whom money, but as he was not in the practice of eavesdropping he decidedly did not hear those things.

Adjusting Jim’s head to lie more comfortably on his chest, Spock nodded his approval at his decision not to eavesdrop since he definitely did not hear soft coos of “aww, he is so gentle…” from the direction of a few female ensigns. It was of no consequence that he also happened to quicken his pace at this time as well. 

Rounding the last corner before arriving at his and his captain’s conjoined quarters at last, he adjusted the sleeping figure in his arms once more to be able to reach the control panel. He hesitated only for a moment, deciding it was best to respect his captain’s privacy as much as possible and not enter his room without his express permission. Quickly, he tapped out his own entrance code and his door slid open easily. While his room was comfortable for him, he surmised that it would be less so for his human companion. “Computer, lower temperature by ten degrees.”

While the room cooled, Spock carried the sleeping figure in his arms over to the bed and gently placed him there, making sure his head was comfortable in the transition from against his chest to the softer pillow. If his fingers lingered in their hold of the captain’s soft, smooth hair during the transition, well. That certainly wasn’t intentional on Spock’s part. A light green dusted his cheeks as he forced himself to remove his hands from the sleeping figure. Captain Kirk was safe now, so he had no reason to bother the man. Deciding to get back to his reports, he straightened and turned on his heel, heading for the door. 

Before he reached it, however, a low moan sounded from the bed behind him. Frozen mid-step, with wide eyes, Spock slowly turned his head to see Jim with a look of extreme discomfort on his face. Without thinking about the consequences, Spock was back at his side with the intent to help in some way. He looked at the man lying before him, noticing that there was a thin sheen of sweat on his forehead, despite the temperature change in the room. 

Slowly, he reached out and brushed the back of his hand on the captain’s forehead in order to gauge his temperature. Even with that light touch, however, he was suddenly bombarded with strong feelings of fear and anxiety. Spock jerked his hand back, eyes going wide. He had never felt another’s emotions so strongly without a meld, not even through Jim’s usual careless touches he so often shares with Spock. The sudden thought occurred to him that perhaps there was an issue with his mental shields, but he would have to meditate on that issue later. For now, his captain was more important.

Knowing that the man still needed rest, and quite honestly not wanting his hard work of carrying him all the way to his quarters to be for naught, he decided against waking him. Instead, he placed a hand gently, yet firmly on Jim’s chest and projected as much calm as was possible through the fabric covering of his shirt. Only a few seconds passed before the effects started to show and Jim’s face softened back into a peaceful expression once more. While it would have been the proper time to then move his hand, Spock lingered instead. 

After a moment, Spock felt his cheeks heat in a deep flush as Jim’s feelings churned and twisted into something new. His hesitation to move away from this suddenly intimate setting resulted in a projection from Jim he was not expecting; the peace that Spock gave him had shifted his nightmares into pleasant dreams as intended, but Jim’s version of pleasant was somewhat… erotic. 

Just as Spock decided that he had invaded Jim’s privacy too much and moved to pull away, but a soft whisper stopped his very breath, sending a shiver down his spine and a spike of something undeniably lustful shooting through his body, straight to his groin. Face hot and breath slightly shaky, though he would never admit it to himself later, he leaned forward without thinking, straining to hear the word he was almost positive he heard correctly the first time, once again tumble from those soft, delicate lips below him. Sure enough, as if thinking it, wishing it, was enough to bring it into existence, he once again heard it. His name. 

Whispered so softly, so lewdly, from the sleeping form of one James T. Kirk, twice he had said it now, “Spock…!”

Abruptly, the vulcan remembered he was just that: a vulcan. He stood quickly (too quickly, as he made himself slightly dizzy in the process), and retreated across the room much faster than was necessary. His hand still burned from where he had touched Jim, his head still hummed with the warm feeling of ...something... and his body still ached in a way it had never truly ached before; there was a desire in him so strong that it frightened him, and it came from only… what? 

A dream? 

A name? 

He was much too flustered and quite frankly, embarrassed, at the whole situation. His feelings were overwhelming and new and he had no desire to deal with them. As a Vulcan, a True Vulcan, he should be able to handle any and all emotions accordingly. Shame, an emotion he knew all too well, flooded him. He knew better how to handle shame, and the thought grounded him. He closed his eyes and breathed deeply, concentrating. Slowly, his breathing went back to normal, and eventually his blood flow and temperature followed suit.

He took another moment to bottle his emotions, setting aside his strange desires and feelings that he simply did not know how to handle for another day. Deciding that his face and body were back to normal, he opened his eyes once again. Jim was still asleep, undisturbed by the turn of events. Deciding it was best to get back to work, the commander turned his attention to his desk. While he had originally intended to head to the bridge in the captain’s absence, he decided now he would rather stay put. Just in case the captain started displaying any more signs of emotional or physical distress.

Hours passed before Jim started to stir again, and this time his eyes fluttered open. For a moment he opened and closed his eyes, trying to adjust to the lights of the room and gain a sense of where he was, as he did not immediately recognize his surroundings. He sat up slowly, eyes finally landing on Spock. 

“Mr. Spock? What are you…When did I get here? I remember lying down in sick bay, but…” he trailed off, sleep-addled voice causing Spock to repress a slight shiver that was trying to work its way down his spine.

“My apologies, Captain, for the confusion. Yes, you are correct that you fell asleep on a medical bio-bed at the suggestion of Dr. McCoy. After a brief discussion with the doctor, however, it was decided that you may be more comfortable within your own quarters. I took the liberty of delivering you thusly.” Spock delivered his excuse with his head held high, hands behind his back as he stood from his chair.

Kirk raised an eyebrow. “I see. And, may I ask then,” he paused a moment to yawn, “why I am still not in my own quarters?”

The room was silent for a moment as Jim was sure he saw the vulcan’s cheeks go a bit more green. “Once again, I apologize, Captain. As I did not wish to invade your privacy any more than necessary while also wishing to see to your wellbeing as much as possible, I took it upon myself to bring you here, to my quarters instead.”

“My wellbeing, Mr. Spock?” Jim asked, a grin stretching across his face despite his attempt at remaining in Captain Mode. 

Spock looked away, squaring his shoulders in an attempt to remain unphased. “Yes, Captain. You were, I believe, having what Terrans refer to as a nightmare.” 

Surprise flitted across the captain’s eyes before a strange look settled on his features. He had a glint in his eye that seemed to spark something once again in the vulcan, which he quickly tried to stomp down. “Oh?” Jim purred, placing his feet on the ground and slowly standing from the bed, “And does that mean I have you to thank for the...pleasant...dreams I had right afterwards?” He took a step towards his first officer, noticing and taking delight in the way that he swallowed nervously, regardless of his face keeping the same, carefully neutral look. 

Spock stayed perfectly rigid as his captain approached, the playful, almost predatory look in his eyes making the bottled feelings that Spock had worked so hard to keep locked up tight come bubbling to the surface once more. Without thinking, he stepped forward towards Jim, leaving only a few inches between them. He reached out, running his hands over Jim’s biceps, leaning in to whisper into his ear.

“Captain,” he felt his blood heat at the small shiver that ran through his captain as the vulcan’s hot breath hit the shell of his ear. “Jim…” he trailed off, allowing one hand to roam towards his neck, fingers barely touching the skin there. 

The vulcan’s eyes fluttered closed as the emotions of his captain came rushing forward through the skin-to-skin contact. Surprise, curiosity, amusement, and a distinct spike of lust all jumbled together in Jim’s head had Spock let out a breath he did not realize he was holding. Lost in the emotions he was feeling from both Jim and himself, he hardly recognized his own voice as he spoke once more into the shell of the round, human ear.

“You’re so...infuriating.”

The yellow alert siren blared, snapping them both out of their lustful states. Spock’s eyes flew open and he immediately stepped back and let go completely of Jim, who was fairly red but equally quick in removing himself from Spock. Jim looked for a long second into Spock’s eyes before flipping open his comm and checking in with Sulu. 

“What’s going on up there?” His voice was not nearly as breathless as he feared it would be. The feeling of Spock’s fingers on his skin and hot breath in his ear was almost overwhelming, but he pushed his feelings aside and settled back into James T. Kirk, Captain.

Sulu answered immediately, “Sir, we were hailed by a federation ship five minutes ago. We responded, but there was only static and no visual feed at all. They started scanning the ship a moment ago and for some reason our shields are not functioning at maximum. We aren’t sure if they are a threat or not at present, sir, but they have scanned us.”

“On my way, Kirk out.” Jim and Spock were already halfway down the corridor before Sulu had finished his explanation. While there was an interesting and exciting new dynamic between the two, they were first and foremost Captain and Commander of the USS Enterprise; duty came first. 

Spock and Jim, stepping onto the turbo lift and quickly exchanging tactics and ideas of what could be happening, would save their budding and extremely confusing emotions for a later date.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so first of all, I am SO SORRY to anyone who was reading this for the almost three month delay. I really do have good reasons, but it still shouldn't have taken me this long. In short, death in the family, sickness, a broken laptop, and trying to get a new job were all my downfall. Either way, I am still working on finishing this story. I enjoy writing it and I hope you enjoy reading it.   
> Thanks for reading.

**Author's Note:**

> This is the first story I have written on AO3, so I really appreciate you reading! I will be posting the next chapter within the next week. I will also add tags as I go so I don't spoil it too much. ;) I'm on Tumblr as PancakeandSirUp.
> 
> I kept this chapter short so I could kind of get a feel for how people like my writing style, since this my first story and all (at least, in a very very long time). If there aren't many complaints I will try and make the next chapter much longer. 
> 
> Feel free to comment your thoughts. :)


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